Spaßbremse

How did Germany go from a chaotic mix of kingdoms and principalities to a unified empire in less than a century? We all know the story of Bismarck, but in this episode Professor Michael Leggiere outlines the ways in which Napoleon Bonaparte--the Corsican-born Emperor of France--was instrumental in forging a unified Germany. This is part one of a three-part series and covers 1789 to 1806. Part 2 will cover 1807 to 1815, and part 3 will conclude.

-Read Prof. Leggiere's book on Napoleon and Germany here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/napoleon-and-the-struggle-for-germany/4E88DDB613B7258659CF6AF4CB57E4B3

-Read his article on the military campaigns in Germany here: https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/29/article/40473/pdf

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Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@spassbremse_pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lee Rosevere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Art by Franziska Schneider.

Support us on Patreon here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse

Germany is often lauded for its Vergangenheitsbewältigung. Is the praise it receives for "working through" the past justified?

To explore one aspect of how Germany tries to address its dark history, Ted speaks with Berlin-based journalist Peter Kuras about the system of antisemitism commissioners that has risen to prominence since the late 2010s—and has become increasingly controversial over the past year. They explore the role that these institutions play in cultural and political life, ask whether Germany now represents a "historical reckoning gone haywire," and discuss whether the admirable aim of atoning for Nazi crimes can be achieved in a more inclusive and just way.

-Read Peter's Jewish Currents piece on "The Strange Logic of Germany’s Antisemitism Bureaucrats" https://jewishcurrents.org/the-strange-logic-of-germanys-antisemitism-bureaucrats

-Read his Guardian piece on those six little words that no German antisemitism commissioner wants to hear: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/16/germany-free-speech-israel-gaza-war

-Follow Peter on Twitter here: https://x.com/plk

-Read the Susan Neiman NYRB piece on "Historical Reckoning Gone Haywire" here: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/10/19/historical-reckoning-gone-haywire-germany-susan-neiman/

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Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@spassbremse_pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lee Rosevere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Art by Franziska Schneider.

Support us on Patreon here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse

**This is a free preview, subscribe to our Patreon here to hear the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse**

Summer is in full swing, which means the Berlin tourism season is as well. Aside from the crowded sidewalks, do the tens of thousands of historical tours that take place each year have any larger political and ideological meaning?

To find out, Ted speaks with longtime (and excellent) Berlin tour guide Ryan Balmer to examine what people come to Berlin looking for, what they tend to walk away with, and what this all means for both the city itself and how the rest of world understands German history.

Find Ryan on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/berlin_reguided/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Check out his videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpwsE8V1YrJ8Mevb2vKfd4g

Read Ghosts of Berlin here: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo28471172.html

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Hosted by Ted. Edited by Nick. Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider. Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter: @spassbremse_pod. Photo courtesy of Johannes Novy.

EU electoral politics expert Ciarán of Corner Späti joins to discuss the results from last weekend's European Parliament vote. From the big political shifts to the Continent's most obscure parties, Ciarán and Ted break it down and speculate about what the next five years could hold.

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Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@spassbremse_pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lee Rosevere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Art by Franziska Schneider. Edited by Nick.

Support us on Patreon here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse

Continuing our series on German diaspora communities, in this episode we move away from the national-level stories to zoom in to one particular place: the "Queen City" of Cincinnati, Ohio. To help us, Ted and Michelle (!) are joined by a native son of the city: Chris Wade of Chapo Trap House. We talk history, beer, baseball, and what the resurgence of interest in German heritage means for culture and politics more broadly

-Follow Chris on Twitter here, check out his personal webpage here and listen to ⁠And introducing, here⁠

-Listen to Hell of Presidents here and Hell on Earth here (both featuring past guest Matt Christman)

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Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (⁠⁠⁠⁠@spassbremse_pod⁠⁠⁠⁠). Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Lee Rosevere⁠⁠⁠⁠. Art by Franziska Schneider. Edited by Nick.

Support us on Patreon here ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse

With a month to go until the European Parliament elections—and the right's vote share expected to surge—what is the state of conservatism in the EU? To find out, Ted speaks with returning guest Hans Kundnani (@hanskundnani), a fellow at NYU's Remarque Institute and Chatham House. They discuss his recent book Eurowhiteness as well as several recent articles on Germany's relationship with the rest of the world and what it means for Europe.

-Buy the book here: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/eurowhiteness/

-Read the Dissent Piece on Germany-Israel here: https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/zionism-uber-alles/

-Read his article on the "Berlin Blob" here: https://theideasletter.substack.com/p/the-berlin-blob

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Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (⁠⁠⁠@spassbremse_pod⁠⁠⁠). Music by ⁠⁠⁠Lee Rosevere⁠⁠⁠. Art by Franziska Schneider. Edited by Nick. Support us on Patreon here ⁠https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse

In honor of International Worker's Day, this episode features Autumn Chen, designer of the online game "Social Democracy: an Alternate History" to discuss how the late Weimar period could have gone differently--perhaps ending in an SPD or even KPD-led government. She and Ted explore this period through the lens of the game and also talk about the role of computer games in history education more broadly.

Thanks to all the Patreon patrons for making this May Day special episode possible. Stay safe out there and happy May Day!

Follow Autumn's game site here: https://red-autumn.itch.io/

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Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (⁠⁠@spassbremse_pod⁠⁠). Music by ⁠⁠Lee Rosevere⁠⁠. Art by Franziska Schneider. Support us on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse.

Boeing's myriad crises are well known, but what explains the success of its (relatively) new European rival, Airbus? To find out, Ted speaks with aviation analyst Scott Hamilton about the history of the firm, Germany's role in it, and what has allowed Airbus to overtake Boeing. They also discuss the different approaches toward the aircraft manufacturing business on both sides of the Atlantic and ask what it says about their respective economies. Finally, they explore the future of "sustainable" aviation and the rise of Chinese competition.

Buy Scott's book here: https://www.12spublications.com/

Check out Leeham News and Analysis here: https://leehamnews.com/

Read about Strauß and aviation here: https://aviationtrivia.blogspot.com/2015/05/franz-josef-strauss-bavarian-politician.html

Read Airbus on it's own history: https://www.airbus.com/en/who-we-are/our-history/commercial-aircraft-history/trouble-and-strife-1968-1969

FT on the rise of COMAC: https://www.ft.com/content/19319a2f-b913-4711-a94b-7915248ee67a

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Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (⁠⁠@spassbremse_pod⁠⁠). Music by ⁠⁠Lee Rosevere⁠⁠. Art by Franziska Schneider. Support us on Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse

The economic news from Germany is bad. But is the reality as dire as it's portrayed? To find out if Germany is really the "sick man of Europe" again, Ted speaks with Professor Sebastian Dullien of the Hans Böckler Foundation's Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK). They discuss the problems Germany faces and what it needs to do to escape them.

For background, listen to Episode 1 on Hartz IV here and Episode 8 on the Schuldenbremse here. 

Prof. Dullien's podcast is here: https://www.boeckler.de/de/podcasts-22421.htm 

And the Adam Tooze piece Ted referenced at the end is here: https://adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-71-the-inflation-debate 

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Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (⁠@spassbremse_pod⁠). Music by ⁠Lee Rosevere⁠. Art by Franziska Schneider.

Acknowledging and atoning for the crimes of the Third Reich is now an essential part of Germany's national identity. This process is comparatively straightforward for ethnic Germans, whose family members may have been complicit during the Nazi era. But where does this "emotional social contract" leave post-WWII immigrants to Germany, particularly those of Muslim backgrounds?

To explore these tensions, Ted speaks with Esra Özyürek, professor at Cambridge University, about her recent book Subcontractors of Guilt: Holocaust Memory and Muslim Belonging in Postwar Germany. They discuss the ways in which Muslim-Germans navigate the complex politics of victimhood and perpetration, often in ways that contradict official narratives.

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Support Spaßbremse on Patreon here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse⁠⁠⁠⁠

Co-hosted by Ted (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ted_knudsen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Michelle (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@shhellgames⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Edited by Nick of ⁠⁠⁠⁠@cornerspaeti⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (⁠⁠⁠⁠@spassbremse_pod⁠⁠⁠⁠). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.